Chapter 25 : Flashback(2)

A foul odor hung in the air. A repulsive smell that people often described as disinfectant.

Forcing my heavy eyelids open, I found myself not on my bed, but seated in the dining table chair I often used at home. As expected, my arms

and legs were all tied up, but wouldn’t a bed be better for something like that?

Thinking that, I scanned the living room to find some basis to understand this situation.

The bed was still there, and the only difference was that the floor was covered in a bunch of plastic sheets.

…Considering the sound of the door I heard before falling asleep, the bishop should be somewhere in this house—

“…Hello?”

A friendly greeting came from behind me. It was a familiar voice.

“…Hello.”

As expected, Bishop appeared from behind me.

“Oh… but what’s with that outfit?”

The problem was, it wasn’t the ‘naked’ bishop I had expected, but…

The bishop wearing a white gown and rubber gloves, holding a huge saw.

“It’s an outfit for your ‘repentance.’ This object is a holy relic for you.”

Huh? A saw, not a dildo? Wait a minute. It seems our interests are misaligned in many ways.

“…Are you kidding?”

“No. I’m serious.”

It seemed I had made a very bold misunderstanding. I had completely ignored the crazy power of pseudo-religions.

-[Anyone can be saved if they can be recognized as ‘human’!]

I had always dismissed the bishop’s speeches as mere conman talk, but to think that belief was genuine. It was the first time in my life I was

seeing such a crazy person.

Still, he might be a better person than other pseudo-bishops who only think of their followers as money. At least his faith in God is real,

right?

Thanks to that, I’m now in mortal danger.

“Winter Believer… I don’t know if you can hear my voice, trapped in the body of a demon, but I’m telling you this in case you can. You are

now possessed by a demon. If you’ve seen the news, you’ll know. People possessed by various demons have appeared in this Korean

peninsula. As you know, my duty is to return them all to ‘human’ form and spread the path of salvation.”

“W-wait, Bishop?”

“Don’t call me Bishop so familiarly, you demon!”

He shouted roughly and swung the saw down.

“Hick!”

The saw, as big as my upper body, fell right next to my face. If the position had been slightly off, my head would have been split open.

“Fortunately, you only grew horns on your head. It’ll be fine if I just cut those off. It’s okay. You can rest assured. You’ll be able to return to

the original Han Gyeoul Believer soon…”

He drooled as if he were out of his mind, claiming that if he cut off the horns, the symbol of the demon, I could return to normal.

‘Bullsh*t.’

I had seen news that many users were showing symptoms of self-harm, cutting off horns and other body parts that sprouted on their bodies

because they couldn’t adapt to the changed body. Some of them had even broken off their own horns.

If simply cutting off the horns would return them to their original bodies, those who harmed themselves would have returned to their

original bodies as well.

My family, who unconditionally believe the bishop’s words, might believe such things, but I didn’t.

In the first place, he’s going to cut off the horns. The horns of the dragon race are important physical elements and also belong to one of the

central organs connected to various nerve systems.

It wasn’t just a ‘important part’ level, but inside the horns of most races that have horns, arteries are gathered, so if they are cut off more than

necessary, they die from excessive bleeding.

In fact, even in the game, it was an official setting that if the horns were cut off and no action was taken, they would die from dot damage in a

state of excessive bleeding.

Reality didn’t seem to be much different, and I had seen a news flash that some Minotaur users had died after twisting and breaking each

other’s horns with their unique brute force during a fight.

‘I think I’m going to die like that too… damn it.’

I wanted to escape this terrible space right away, but my arms and legs were already tied so tightly that it was impossible to move even a

little.

He turned the bed frame in the living room as if he were used to this.

Then, the body of the bed turned over, revealing various sundries underneath.

Saws, hammers, shovels, coping saws, etc.

Looking at the blood on those sundries, it was certain. This wasn’t the first time he had done this.

“…I’m f*cked.”

“To use such harsh language! You’re not like the always polite Winter Believer. I’ll ‘repent’ you soon.”

He said he didn’t have time to clean up, so he grabbed my horns. At least the outer surface was hard like a fingernail, so I didn’t feel any pain,

but I felt helpless when I thought that these horns would be cut off with that saw soon.

I had to think of a way to overcome the situation, but my head was blank and my arms and legs were all tied up. To make matters worse, I

couldn’t even put strength into my body because I was drugged.

-Scratch.

A terrible sound began to be heard from above my head.

Even if I begged that I might die if my horns were cut off, his hand showed no signs of stopping.

The outer shell, which was made of simple chitinous tissue, was almost completely torn, and just as I began to feel a little pain.

-Squeak.

A small door sound was heard.

When I glanced slightly sideways, I saw the moonlight slightly entering my room, where the door was open.

Since the inside of the house was dark with all the curtains drawn, the radiance of the moonlight that I saw for a moment was quite clear.

Fortunately, it seemed that the bishop, who was focused on his work, didn’t notice it.

Anyway, I captured the silhouette of a person shining in the moonlight in that fleeting gap.

A woman with small hands and feet, tall, and long hair.

It was my sister.

To buy more time and attention, I bit the bishop’s hand that was on my face.

He threw away the saw he was holding in his right hand and screamed in pain.

My sister, realizing that this timing was the opportunity I had created, rushed at the bishop as he was.

“Die!”

Holding a brick the size of a person’s head, I don’t know where she got it.

---

I tried to calm my trembling hands and dragged the green call button to the side.

-…Winter?

It was my mother’s voice, which I hadn’t heard in a long time. I should have been happy, but the voice that came out of my mouth was far

from happy.

“Why did you contact me? I thought you said we wouldn’t see each other again.”

-…Save me.

I listened to the voice of one of the people who was once most precious to me, and went out to the balcony outside the window. I wanted to

smoke after a long time.

“What’s wrong?”

-Winter, I still have nothing to say about what happened then, but can you help me just once…?

I lit a cigarette I had bought from a convenience store. It had been over two weeks since I had smoked, and my lungs couldn’t adapt, so they

reacted sensitively and contracted.

“Cough, so what do you want me to help you with?”

I had no intention of helping unless it was something really important. To be honest, I was thinking about whether or not to offer a helping

hand even if it was a matter of my parents or younger brother’s life.

Even if they died right now, it wouldn’t make any difference to me, who had cut ties a long time ago.

Nevertheless, the only reason I asked them this was because of one thing.

“It’s a problem related to my sister, isn’t it?”

Maybe the family also knows. The fact that I won’t step in unless it’s something related to my sister.

-Yes… that’s, some users who introduced themselves as [Hell Korea] came and…

She hesitated and opened her mouth. The whole story was like this.

After the leader who promised eternal life died first, my family, except for my sister and I, were greatly shocked and moved to the

countryside.

The process of moving was not smooth either. My sister and I were kicked out of the house for killing their god, and my younger brother

attempted suicide or ran away, and all kinds of things happened.

Thankfully, the province they moved to was located in an area that was no different from a mess where various users were causing chaos.

The problem is that my sister, Han Bom, who resembles me with a lot of affection, is a person who boasts so much affection that it overflows

out of her body.

A kind-hearted sucker. That was the most appropriate word to describe my sister.

Her nickname among her friends was also sucker or black cow, and she maintained a relationship with them even after the rest of her family

moved to the countryside.

It’s not as comfortable as it used to be, but it’s a relationship that’s a little unnatural to call them strangers.

She often asks how they are on the phone, and even if she doesn’t visit them during the holidays, she maintains a relationship where she

sends them a fruit set.

The reason why she went to her parents’ house in the countryside was simple.

“Ah, you thought that if my sister was there, I would step in and protect Mom and Dad?”

My head was about to ache.

I thought the family, who had gotten a little better after cutting ties, were more selfish than I had imagined.

“So, because of the work you guys asked for, my sister went all the way there in a small car without any escorts? And then she got caught by

the users and dragged away, right? And those users called Hell Korea came and demanded a ransom to release the hostage.”

-…

There was no answer from the other side of the call. They didn’t seem to have anything to say either.

“Hoo…”

I slammed my head straight into the balcony railing. It was because my head was aching. Suddenly, I remembered the message my sister had

sent me a few days ago.

-[Are you hurt anywhere?]

-[I’m all better. I’m completely fine now. I’m planning to be discharged today.]

-[Then… would you like to talk to Mom or Dad just once?]

-[I don’t want to. I told you not to make such a suggestion, right? I’m going to cut ties completely.]

-[…Okay. I’m sorry.]

‘If I had answered a little better then…’

If my sister had sincerely wanted to protect her family, I might have followed her. I had the power to do so, and it was easy to simply put up a

barrier.

If I had answered a little better at that time, my sister would have told me what she wanted, and this would not have happened.

“[Hell Korea], you said?”

I looked at Hye-won, who was asleep in the house, covered in blankets and smelling of alcohol.

-…Do you think it’s going to be difficult? If so, ask the military for…

“They might be surprisingly understanding.”

I thought of a way to resolve this situation as peacefully as possible.

Hostage exchange.

It was a negotiation that took place every day between countries at war to preserve human resources, as it had appeared throughout history.

If I could only exchange Hye-won, who is one of the main combatants, for my sister, who has no ability, it would be a good negotiation that

they would welcome and be satisfied with.

“I’ll help you. Instead…”

I smiled and continued.

“You can look forward to what the price of my help will be. If you receive help, you have to pay the price. Right?”